France's leader in private vacation rentals

The name Abritel plays on the French word for shelter, but it really boils down to the private vacation rentals the brand lists on its website.

A bit of history

The Abritel story began in Marseille in 1979 when Christian Miquel decided to launch a company dedicated to private vacation rentals.

The concept caught on quickly, a success solidified by the rise of the internet and the launch of the Abritel.fr website in 1999. In 2007, the French company joined the American group HomeAway, the Texas-based global leader in vacation rentals, which was later acquired by Expedia in 2015. These successive integrations gave the French brand an international footprint and expanded its inventory to over 2 million properties across 190 countries. The synergies work both ways, as listings published on Abritel appear automatically on all other sites within the HomeAway giant (Homelidays, Vacation Rentals, and others), granting them global visibility.

This is how the success story of Abritel, now the leader in vacation rental platforms in France, was born. The premise is simple: give private owners and professionals the opportunity to rent out a wide range of properties for short stays to travelers worldwide, with the goal of providing the comfort and convenience of home while abroad.

How does Abritel work?

To achieve that level of comfort and meet the demands of every traveler, the process is straightforward. You simply enter your destination and travel dates, then use a wide array of filters like budget, property type, amenities, and local activities to find exactly what you need. It is worth noting that there are 25 types of accommodations available on the site, ranging from the traditional to the unexpected, including cabins, manors, castles, mills, towers, houseboats, yachts, and farmhouses.

Travelers can book and pay online through third-party providers who handle the transaction. At this stage, Abritel has implemented its Book with Confidence Guarantee, which offers assistance before, during, and after your stay, along with 24/7 support.

Discover all offers
https://www.abritel.fr
Voir le site

Reviews of Abritel

Summary of 5 reviews
3.4/5
Average rating
+23 recs +23 -0 Score weighted by contributor expertise level: a recommendation from a level 3 member counts as 3.
Total recs

Average ratings by criterion

Customer service
5/5
Reliability
3.6/5
Value for money
3.6/5

Used it often in the past

There are so many tools for booking a vacation rental or an activity these days. Abritel used to be my go to in the past. Unfortunately for them, the competition has really caught up, sometimes with more attractive rates. I compare a lot these days, and I often end up not finalizing with Abritel!

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Booking can be tricky sometimes

I have only used Abritel twice because I often run into trouble when trying to book. Several listings look attractive but don't have any reviews, and when I submit a request, I get no response or a very late one. It feels a lot like these are "ghost" listings. Because of that, I don't find the site very secure, and I much prefer using Airbnb. It all depends on where you are looking, but overall, I find that there are fewer options than on other sites. Plus, I often find the same ones elsewhere, sometimes cheaper, including on Booking.

20
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a bit more expensive than on other platforms

I booked once through Abritel and the experience was positive. The rental matched the description perfectly and there were no bad surprises. The booking process was simple and stress-free. The only downside in my opinion is that the rates seem a bit high compared to other platforms.

20
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Nothing to complain about

I went on a trip once with Abritel and everything went really well. The rental matched the photos in the listing perfectly. The site is easy to get the hang of and booking is very simple. There are a lot of properties available. I would definitely organize my vacation through Abritel again.

19
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Rental overall okay but noisy

I used Abritel once to book a rental in Deauville. Overall, the apartment was clean, well located, and well equipped. We had a good stay. However, the area was noisy, even late at night, and the apartment was poorly insulated. Our sleep was a bit disrupted, which meant we were a little tired during the day. Too bad.

17
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